GOLD RUSH: Fulfilling His Goals
10/23/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
This article originally appeared in the October issue of Gold Rush
By Jay Reddick, Gold Rush
Ian Harkes earned a reputation last season as one of the best players in the ACC at starting the attack.
This season, he has set out to prove that it's not how you start, it's how you finish.
As he entered his sophomore year, the Fairfax, Va., midfielder knew he needed to become more of a leading man in the Deacons' attack - and he wasted no time doing just that, scoring the team's first goal of the season against UCLA on Aug. 29.
It should be no surprise that Harkes took to his new role so naturally. After all, it's in his genes.
Harkes is the son of a pair of professional soccer players: Cindi played in England as well as America's W League after a stellar career at Virginia, while John is a National Soccer Hall of Famer who spent 14 years as a pro in England and the United States.
In fact, Ian was born in Derby, England, during his father's tenure as the first American ever in the English Premier League.
His parents' background meant Harkes was exposed to soccer from a very early age - he said he started playing in pee-wee leagues at age 3.
"I enjoyed it right away," Harkes said. "My parents had me do different things to try and stay active, but I stayed with soccer all the way through."
That effort to try many different sports led Harkes through several different interesting phases. He said he played a little basketball when he was younger, but that didn't last. As a freshman at Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C., though, he tried another sport which might have suited him mentally, if not physically.
"I played a year of rugby," Harkes said. "I enjoyed it until I realized that everyone else got bigger, and I didn't."
Harkes said that several friends also tried out for rugby at Gonzaga, which had a standout team. He enjoyed the challenge while it lasted.
"It was completely different from any other game I played," Harkes said. "You're constantly moving, more than any other game except soccer, but physically it's a little different, with these huge guys. I didn't get crushed too much."
That toughness has served him well as he has risen through the ranks of his chosen sport. He started every game for the Deacons last year and was the opening-day starter this season as well. From his midfielder position, he has been a focus of every team's defense, and during the team's first five games, he netted the goal against the Bruins, tallied another assist and was second on the team in shots on goal with seven.
"Last year, I came into the season thinking more like a reserve," Harkes said. "I was just there to contribute as much as I could. This year, I'm an attacking player on both sides of the ball - I'm a main playmaker, so I have to be more threatening in goals and assists."
Harkes is attending Wake Forest in spite of his family history - his mother, father, aunt and uncle were all student-athletes at Virginia. Harkes said he spent plenty of time at UVa, not far from his home, along with the University of Maryland. But the Deacons called him south.
"I always had Wake Forest at the top of my list," Harkes said. "I had seen them in the ACC a lot, and I liked the way they played. When I came down here on a visit, I fell in love with the place."
Any pushback from the family?
"They would have loved it if I had gone to Virginia," Harkes said. "But they know what was the right fit for me."
Harkes is also quickly becoming a leader by example for the team. His work ethic on and off the field (he's an Academic All-ACC selection who is pursuing an accounting major) has given him more of a wide-ranging perspective on the team, even as an underclassman.
"We had an up-and-down start (with losses to highly ranked UCLA and California)," Harkes said. "We expected that, though - challenging games like that will help us in the NCAA tournament.
"We're making some mistakes, but a lot of them are mental - they can be fixed. We can see we have a really strong team."
Last season, the Deacs were downed in the third round of the NCAA tournament. Harkes believes this team can go farther.
"We're after trophies," Harkes said. "We have a young team, so we have to stay realistic, but with the potential we have, the real question is, `Why not?'"
